“So, what Demios said on the balcony was about this.”
The Emperor must have known about Roksan’s past.
“Thank you for telling me.”
“I thought the Empress should know. Regardless of your relationship with the Duke.”
Sepia was puzzled by the lady’s smile.
She had revealed the truth about the scandal to the maidservants.
But the Empress’s birds didn’t take her words at face value.
“The Duke and I are not in a relationship that would cause concern.”
Friends. And a relationship of mutual assistance. Nothing more, nothing less.
“Above all.”
He had a lover he couldn’t forget for a long time.
But he couldn’t tell the maidservants about the Duke’s personal stories.
“It doesn’t matter. I will follow only Mama, as I am Mama’s hands and feet.”
“Lemodi, you…”
“Now, the brushing is done, so let’s go to the living room. The maidservants are waiting.”
As if her energy had drained away, Lemodi lifted her up when she smiled.
When they went out to the living room connected to the bedroom, the fireplace was crackling.
The maidservant, who had found the two in the living room, gestured for them to come quickly, as if everything was ready.
“Please have a seat quickly. We’ve prepared warm cocoa.”
“Thank you.”
When Sepia sat on the sofa, a mug was placed in front of her.
On top of the warm cocoa was a marshmallow in the shape of a snowman.
Three maids also sat around the sofa.
It was the winter tea time that occurred every year at the Empress’s residence when she had some free time.
“I hope that fox from earlier is okay. It should be good at avoiding snowstorms at night.”
“It came on time every time, so it probably has another place to stay at night.”
“That’s a relief then.”
Sepia and the maids began a conversation.
After a while, the quick-witted maidservant seemed to remember something and clapped her hands.
“Oh, by the way, did you hear the news? The son of Duke Crudeau recovered from his illness.”
The name of the family she had heard before made Sepia shake her head.
‘If it’s Crudeau… they were the family that ousted the Empress, right?’
Once a powerful family, after Yerdial fell ill and remained bedridden, their influence gradually waned, and they had been quietly continuing their current peaceful flow of events.
Here is the English translation of the Korean paragraph you provided, following your guidelines:
“I had just had a conversation with Lemodi and the Empress a little while ago, so I couldn’t help but feel somewhat uneasy about her family’s connection.
However, separate from that, the son of the Crudeau family was news I had never heard before.
“Was there a son in that family?”
“Yes. He couldn’t leave the mansion since he was very young due to an illness, but he’s almost fully recovered now.”
“…I see. That’s good news.”
The eldest son of the Crudeau family is currently active as the commander of the Imperial Guard.
Thanks to that, I had seen him a few times, but I had never heard any stories about his younger brother.
‘It must not be a very close relationship then.’
Moreover, his younger brother had suffered from a serious illness. It must be a sensitive topic.
A family related to the Empress.
At first, it felt uncomfortable, but it occurred to me later that the Crudeaus had long distanced themselves from the Empress.
“I should send a gift at least. What’s the name of the son?”
It was a cause for celebration that the younger brother of the knight who protected the royal family had recovered.
“I heard his name is Etzcel. Should I make a list of suitable gifts?”
“Yes, please do. I’ll leave it to you.”
It would be a matter of choosing something appropriate from that list.
As the conversation shifted, talk about the Crudeau family gradually faded away.
While conversing with the maids, Sepia had to forcefully suppress her recurring thoughts about Roksan.
When a maid threw firewood into the fireplace, the room brightened with a burst of sparks.
The sky beyond the window was dark navy.
That’s how the winter night was deepening.
The Crudeau mansion.
Inside, where the servants were strictly monitored, there was a small commotion.
“Hey, look at this! The Empress sent me a gift!”
A young man with orange hair, holding a small box, was jumping around the center of the living room.
His innocent-looking green eyes sparkled brightly.
But there was one problem with the youth full of vitality.
“Can you please look at this?”
“…Alright, but please put on some clothes, Etzcel.”
Jesper, the commander of the Imperial Guard, had his hand on his forehead while looking at his energetic younger brother.
Top Celebrity Younger Brother Bears Her Child (Female-dominant)
One-line summary: Forced to live stream romance with a top celebrity in a female-dominant world.
Yan Jin transmigrated into a brothel, with a fellow transmigrated junior beside her.
Hearing the obscene words coming from outside, the unfortunate junior covered his ears tightly, his cheeks flushed red, and whispered to comfort her, “Don’t worry, I will definitely help you escape.”
“Don’t worry, I will definitely defend your chastity.” Yan Jin looked at the flawless and delicate features of the unfortunate junior and gently comforted, “Because we have transmigrated into a female-dominant world.”
※※※
Top celebrity Yu Shu suddenly fell into a coma during a concert.
Research scientist Yan Jin fainted in the lab after working overtime.
Two people with no connection were rushed to the same hospital.
Three days later, neither of them had woken up.
Suddenly, the entire nation discovered that a live streaming app had been forcibly installed on their phones.
Upon opening it, they heard the two discussing how to escape from the brothel.
The entire internet was in an uproar.
After the two successfully escaped from the brothel, Yu Shu’s fan group rushed to make a banner and sent it to the hospital overnight.
“Big sister bravely took action to defend the chastity of our idol!”
※※※
When Yu Shu was diagnosed with pregnancy, Yan Jin stared at his belly for a long time.
Covering his stomach, he muttered gloomily, “If you don’t like it, I’ll go get an abortion.”
“It’s not that I don’t like it.” Yan Jin hugged Yu Shu and said softly, “I just feel like I’m not human.”
Yu Shu comforted Yan Jin, “I was already an adult when we got together.”
Yan Jin hesitated, “But you won’t be of legal marriageable age even after giving birth to the child.”
At the same time, a flood of bullet comments appeared in the live streaming room that the two couldn’t see.
[Although it’s inappropriate, I also want a young and handsome boyfriend to have my child.]
①Male pregnancy (highlighted)
The female lead is five years older than the male lead, and the male lead is already an adult when he appears.
